Studying status: An integrated framework

This paper reports development of an integrated framework for studying stat us. The framework provides models and methods for addressing long-standing, unresolved issues, such as (I) the emergence of status, (2) distinguishing between the status of individuals and the status of characteristics, and ( 3) measuring and understanding the status gap between subgroups (between me n and women, or between races). The framework, which covers both small grou ps and large societies, and both task and nontask groups, utilizes ideas an d insights from several literatures to identify three types of status, link ed in precise ways to two kinds of personal characteristics (quantitative a nd qualitative). The three types of status are mathematically specified, an d initial theoretical development is presented for all three, including, fa r each, formulation of measures, derivation of testable implications, and a nalysis of how to change status and the status structure, Testable implicat ions cover such phenomena as status differences between group members, stat us gaps between subgroups, overall status inequality and status gains and l osses from discrimination - all under varying conditions, including the num ber and intercorrelation of status-conferring personal characteristics and the proportions in the subgroups. The new status theory also identifies two mechanisms involved in the phenomenon of "internalized oppression." The fr amework thus opens many avenues for future work, both theoretical work, der iving more and sharper implications, and empirical work, testing the implic ations and using the new measures for the status of persons and the status of characteristics to assess key status phenomena in surveys and experiment s.